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USA: New Poll Shows 55% Support Marriage Equality

Written by scott on July 1st, 2013

We have another poll in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s twin decisions on marriage equality. USA Today reports:

Neither one of those decisions is as a legal matter a huge gay rights victory,” says Tom Goldstein, a Harvard Law School professor and publisher of SCOTUSblog, which analyzes the high court. “But it’s the moral message from the court that these unions are entitled to equal respect … that is probably the lasting legacy of the decisions and is probably going to play a significant role in public opinion.” The poll by Princeton Survey Research Associates questioned 1,003 adults from Thursday through Sunday. It has a margin of error of +/-3.6 percentage points.

Among the findings: By an unprecedented 55%-40%, Americans say marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by law as valid, with the same rights of traditional marriage. That’s the highest level of support since Gallup began asking the question in 1996. Then, fewer than half that number, 27%, backed the idea.

Interestingly, only 48% of respondents also supported the Supreme Court decision striking down section 3 of DOMA. The poll also found opposition to marriage equality dropping below 50% in the South.